Dictionary is showing strange characters when “US English (IPA)” is selected

dictionarysnow leopard

I was using the Dictionary application, and I have noticed it was showing the pronunciation using strange characters.

Dictionary screenshot

I checked the preferences, and they were set to use the American IPA characters.

Dictionary preferences

Out of curiosity, I changed the option to "US English (Diacritical)"; I then re-typed the same word, and I have got this:

Dictionary screenshot

It seems that it uses diacritical characters when it should use IPA, and vice versa. Something changed in the last twenty-four hours, as it was working fine, the last time I used it.

I think the problem is one of the preference files used by the Dictionary application. Which file should I restore, to get back the Dictionary application working as it is supposed to do?
Could it be another problem? Which one could be causing this?

Best Answer

I also see |"br{k@t| when viewing bracket with US English IPA on a local Snow Leopard installation.

But, it is not a problem displaying the IPA characters themselves. Other words that shared those mis-transcribed vowel sounds are displayed correctly:

  • bracket |"br{k@t|
  • brackish |ˈbrækɪʃ|
  • bran |bræn|
  • kit |kɪt|

My guess it that there is just an error in the US English IPA transcription for bracket.

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